Oyster-dredge



' (No Model.)

0. W. HOYT.

OYSTER DREDGE.

No. 351,264. Patented Oct. 19, 1886.

NITED STATES PATENT OFFICE,

CHARLES NV. HOYT, OF NEWV HAVEN, CONNECTICUT.

OYSTER-DREDGE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 351,264, dated October19,1886.

Application filed June 28,1886. Serial No. 206,440. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, CHARLES XV. Hov'r, of New Haven, in the county ofNew Haven and State of Connecticut, have invented a new Improvement inOyster-Dredges; and I do hereby declare the following, when taken inconnection with accompanying drawings and the letters of referencemarked thereon, to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same,and which said drawings constitute part of this specification, andrepresent, in

Figure 1, a top view; Fig. 2, a side view; Fig. 3, a top view of thereceiver detached.

This invention relates to an improvement in a dredge for taking oystersfrom the beds, and particularly to that class of dredges which are drawnby steam or similar power over the oyster-beds, so as to gather a largequantity of oysters at a single drag Y As hitherto constructed thebottom of the receiver is run directly upon the bed of oysters, the loadresting on the bottom of the re ceiver. The great weight of the load andthe large bearing-surface of the receiver dragging over the bed breaksand destroys large numhers of oysters, it being understood that thedredge is not intended to take all the oysters from the bed, but simplyto run over the bed and take those therefrom which are broken from theirplace of rest by the advancing dredge, the oysters so broken off passinginto the receiver, the receiver being usually of a net-like character;and generally the bottom of the receiver has been made of metal links,forming a flexible network, which permits the bottom of the dredge tocatch upon the oysters with the utmost facility, and from such draggingof the receiver a great loss occurs.

The object of my invention is to avoid to a very considerable extent theloss heretofore incurred in dredging oysters; and it consists in areceiver having a rigid or inflexible bottom resting upon runners hungto the dredgeframe, the said runners adapted to pass over the bed andsupport the bottom so far-above the bed as to prevent its contact withthe oysters, as more fully hereinafter described.

The dredging-frame consists of a crossbar,

A, from the ends of which draft-arms B B extend forward, and are unitedinto a suitable eye or loop, C, to which the drawing device is attached,and other arms, D, rise from the ends of the crossbar A, extendingupward, turn forward, and are joined to the arms B near the eye C,between the arms D, and forward of the cross-bar O is a cross-bar, E.

The receiver consists of several runners, preferably three, one at eachend, and the third intermediate the runners hung t0 the draft-frame, asat a, so as to be free to swing up and down. These runners graduallyrise from the draftbar rearward, and are connected by several crossbars,G, so as to make a strong firm frame. Onto this frame the network toform the bottom is arranged and made fast. This net-work may be madefrom coarse wire-netting. At the forward end the bottom is substantiallyflush with the cross-bar A. Around the two ends and rear of the receivera flexible net-work is secured, so as to form a cover for the receiver,and this net-work extends forward and is secured to the cross-bar Eabove, and so that there is an open mouth into the receiver over thecross-bar A and beneath the flexible net-work. This flexible net-workmay be made from cord or any suit able material.

As the dredge is drawn over the bed the cross-bar A starts the oystersin the usual manner, and the oysters so started pass over the bar ontothe bottom of the receiver, the runners pass over the bed, and they,taking a bearing thereon, support the bottom of the receiver above thebed and prevent its contact with the oysters, or any disturbance of theoysters by the bottom of the receiver, other than that which may be madeby the runners; but the disturbance by the runners is so small a percent., compared with that usually disturbed by the entire bottom of thereceiver passing over the bed, that it is ineonsiderable.

The details which I have illustrated may be varied to a considerableextent without departing from my invention, the essential feature ofwhich is a frame for supporting the bottom of the dredge, resting uponrunners,

and hung to the cross-bar of the draggingframe, so as to be free to riseand fall.

I claim n An oyster-dredge consisting of a dragging- 5 frame combinedwith a receiver hinged thereto, the said receiver consisting of a frameand net-work forming the bottom of the receiver,

of the receiver, so as to support the said bottom above the bed,substantially as described.

CHARLES W. HOYT.

Witnesses:

JOHN E. EARLE,

FRED O. EARLE.

and arranged uponriinners below the bottom

